2010-05-19

The map that came in from the cold

This is a 'cold war' map of Newcastle upon Tyne, done in 1977. All of the names are presented in the cyrillic alphabet. They are not translations but transliterations. Wallsend, then (on the right) is Uolsend. East Benton is, um, Yst Benton. Streets are Stryt and Roads are Rod. There are places (moving west) I've never heard of, like Lytl Benton, just east of the Kolledzh. We're used to seeing Mir as a space station but it's here as the Taun Mir - where every summer sees the fair. The city centre's square market is flanked by Up Kleiton Stryt and Greindzher Stryt and Niugyt Stryt cuts across them, long before the Gyt was even an idea in somebody's mind.